Listen

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Think

Why does Jesus have to say hard stuff like this? If Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, it seems like the scribes and Pharisees — who loved the law and the prophets — would have loved Jesus too, right? Wrong. Actually, it’s not as hard as it seems when you think about it.

When God originally gave the law, it contained ten commands. But in almost no time, people began to add things they thought might clarify those ten laws and make them easier to follow. Before they knew it, instead of trying to keep ten commands they were trying to keep more than 600!

Jesus came to boil it down to God’s original intent: love God and love others. All the Scriptures hang on these two commands.

Pray

Go

God sent Christ into the world,
Giving life abundant and free.
God sends us like Christ before us
Sharing love with all those in need.

Shine your light into the darkness
So the lost can finally say:
Never ceasing, life increasing,
Christ, our life, our truth, our way!

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writer

Steve Cothran

Steve Cothran has been working with youth since his youth, and the last 20 years he has served church staffs in Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Steve enjoys relating life to Seinfeld and a weekly discussion of The Walking Dead, and his office smells of leather-bound books and rich mahogany. His wife Nancy is also a minister, and they have three semi-adult children: Marina, Raleigh, and Robyn.